I will rate beers on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is one of my all-time favorites, and 1 is a beer I would never drink again. A 3 is a beer I could, but would prefer not to drink again, and a 5 is a beer I would gladly drink again.

I appreciate any feedback, as I attempt to refine my palate and tasting process with an eye towards becoming a certified judge.

Two Hearted
IPA
Bell’s
Comstock, MI
USA
7.0—
Bottle
The IPA. If anyone wants to know what an IPA is, just have them drink a Two Hearted. This generally gets lost in the shuffle due to the extremes other IPA’s go to, but this is what I judge all other IPAs against. Pours copper with a head that quickly dissipates. Resinous pine hops on the nose along with caramel malts. Hops and malt up front, well balanced with citrus, caramel, honey, and pine flavors. Finise is still well balanced, but hoppier, good astringency.
10/10

Tonight I had some Big Boss Brewing Company (Raleigh, NC) Aces and Ates Coffee Stout.
From a tap. Black as coal, thin tan head. Coffee, toffee, and molasses. Nice malty flavor too.
I am a sucker for stouts, so I loved it.

I still don’t really have the stomach to participate in this lounge yet, as I’ve had the flu all week. But I am going to a nice restaurant tonight that has a Missouri brewery only beer list, and it’s going to kill me if I can’t have something.

I still don’t really have the stomach to participate in this lounge yet, as I’ve had the flu all week. But I am going to a nice restaurant tonight that has a Missouri brewery only beer list, and it’s going to kill me if I can’t have something.

We have restaurants down here where they have a Missouri* only beer list. They’re called shitty bars.

I was at Public House (eight pages of beer on the menu!) the other night, and Bell’s was there giving out free samples of their oatmeal stout, it was very good. I also had a Golden Rye Ale, which was friggin’ outstanding.

I was at Public House (eight pages of beer on the menu!) the other night, and Bell’s was there giving out free samples of their oatmeal stout, it was very good. I also had a Golden Rye Ale, which was friggin’ outstanding.

How’d you like the stout? Was it sweet or dry?

Too, I’m so spoiled. I look at it and think, “Eight pages, that’s it?”

I still don’t really have the stomach to participate in this lounge yet, as I’ve had the flu all week. But I am going to a nice restaurant tonight that has a Missouri brewery only beer list, and it’s going to kill me if I can’t have something.

We have restaurants down here where they have a Missouri* only beer list. They’re called shitty bars.

Ha.

St. Louis is really rolling with craft breweries at the moment. There are four or five that have opened in the last year.

Not what I was expecting. Unlike a typical West Coast IPA, this had plenty of malt to balance the hops. Still plenty of hops, however, more of the bittering variety than the pine resin/grapefruit type.

Two Hearted, to me, is the archetype IPA, and I bought this because the store was out. Not a bad substitute.

Boddington’s Cans—Nostalgia for my time in London; always a wonderful head.

Dogfish Head 60 Minute—Meh.

Signature

Out on the Web, people assemble into verticals of self-interest. They often speak only to each other. They become an echo chamber of half-truths, sometimes outright lies, without any real data points coming in. And so you end up with a sort of mass of people talking to each other, no one has read anything. No one knows anything. They’re talking about something that someone else read that read that read that. And we end up in a meta-world.

*****
Delirium Tremens (3 consumed)
One of my absolute favorite beers. I love the sharpness, I like that it has the slight fruity taste without being an all-out fruity beer or cider. It has a balance that works very well, and goes down lightly despite its strength.

****1/2
Newcastle (14 consumed)
You know Newcastle.

Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar Brown Ale (3 consumed)
I really dug this and I might be underrating it. It’s a nice brown with charming honey taste to it. I don’t know if I’ve ever come across a Rogue brew that I haven’t enjoyed, which may be another argument for Oregon being superior to Washington.

Delirium Nocturnum (2 consumed)
A darker brew from the wonderful Delirium team. This doesn’t quite stand up to, say, the Ovila Quad, but I’d gladly have it several times in the future.

Guinness (2 consumed)
You know Guinness.

****
Dale’s Pale Ale (6 consumed)
I might just be thrilled to have a pale ale that’s not an IPA. It’s really a quite typical pale ale, nothing fancy, but it works perfectly.

North Coast Pranqster Belgian Golden Ale (5 consumed)
I kind of go back and forth on how much I like this one. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I go awhile between having it, and then get surprised by how citrusy it is, and then I have to re-acclimate myself. I’m more up on it now than I have been in the past.

Lost Coast Downtown Brown (2 consumed)
A most solid brown.

Firestone DBA (1 consumed)
Finishing off the six-pack from last month, where I said: “An oaky pale ale that goes down easy. Doesn’t strike me as overly hoppy as so many pales out there do, but ymmv.”

Leffe Brown Ale (1 consumed)
From last month: “I have long enjoyed the Leffe Blonde, so I was excited to see the Brown available at my local store. It really worked for me. It does have a similar taste to the Blonde, in a weird way, but adds some nuttiness to the smoothness.”

Ommegang Three Philosophers Quad (1 consumed)
I don’t know that this is one of the best quads out there, but it’s still recommended. Maybe the Ovila Quad has just ruined me for other quads. My detailed notes from my app are “Fruity and malty, crisp”, so there you go.

Alesmith Speedway Stout (1/3 consumed [sample])
A chocolatey stout, which I tend to really like. This is a heaver, richer sort of beer that a lot of people won’t go for, even people who like other stouts that don’t taste like dessert.

Moretti La Rossa (2 consumed)
About as dark a beer as you can get out of Italy. Substandard amongst darker beers, but better than the easy-drinking lagers they more commonly produce.

Heineken (1 consumed)
You know Heineken.

Stone IPA (1 consumed)
Another typical IPA.

Lost Abbey Serpent Stout (1/3 consumed [sample])
I didn’t take notes, and don’t really remember much about this one. Leads me to believe it’s an undistinguished stout, which means it’s solid but nothing to go out of your way for.

Abita Andygator Dobbelback (2 consumed)
Adequate. I was thoroughly exhausted at the time, and don’t remember any details beyond that. Detectives believe Mardi Gras was involved.

Dos Equis Lager (1 consumed)
Whatever.

Blue Moon (1 consumed)
The way I rate things, three stars is “drinkable but unexceptional”. Once you get below three, you might reconsider even having beer. Anyway, Blue Moon gets three stars.

Indian Wells Lobotomy Bock (1 consumed)
Dark with an orangey taste, a combo that didn’t knock my socks off, as you can see.

Mad River Brewing Serious Madness Black Ale (1/3 consumed [sample])
My notes say it was hoppy, like a “mild IPA”. Mixing that with the darkness didn’t quite hit it for me, though if it were the only darker beer on a menu it would still do the job nicely.

TOTAL BEERS CONSUMED IN FEBRUARY: 72
TOTAL BEERS CONSUMED IN 2012 THROUGH FEBRUARY: 122

Signature

I am completely right, but you are too stupid to understand what I’m saying.

Not what I was expecting. Unlike a typical West Coast IPA, this had plenty of malt to balance the hops. Still plenty of hops, however, more of the bittering variety than the pine resin/grapefruit type.

Two Hearted, to me, is the archetype IPA, and I bought this because the store was out. Not a bad substitute.

I’ve liked everything I’ve had from Deschutes, but I’m not sure if I’ve tried this one, due to my trying to put some space between my IPA consumptions.

Signature

I am completely right, but you are too stupid to understand what I’m saying.

Moretti La Rossa (2 consumed)
About as dark a beer as you can get out of Italy. Substandard amongst darker beers, but better than the easy-drinking lagers they more commonly produce.

Agree. So many fine Italian restaurants have poor beer selection, which is too bad. Yes, most Italian cuisine pairs best with wine, but a good beer or two is occasionally perfect.

Signature

Out on the Web, people assemble into verticals of self-interest. They often speak only to each other. They become an echo chamber of half-truths, sometimes outright lies, without any real data points coming in. And so you end up with a sort of mass of people talking to each other, no one has read anything. No one knows anything. They’re talking about something that someone else read that read that read that. And we end up in a meta-world.